Instructions: Hairwing Dun

1. Attach the thread to the hook shank behind the eye and lay down a thread foundation to the bend of the hook. At the bend, create a small ball of thread.
Step One
2.Select some tailing material. We are tying a Green Drake pattern so I am choosing the fibers from a Coq de Leon Medio Pardo. An Olive Grizzly spade hackle would also work well.
Step Two
3. Even the tips of the hackle fibers in a stacker and measure the tips to be about one shank length.
Step Three
4. Attach the bundle of fibers on top of the hook shank behind the small thread ball you made. With your thumb nail, apply pressure to the top of the ball and the tailing fibers will splay. Apply a couple of thread wraps behind the ball to secure these fibers in place.
Step Four
5. Attach a strand of yellow floss to the top of the hook shank and secure with thread wraps to just in front of the tail tie-in.
Step Five
6. Apply Superfine dubbing to the thread. Bring the fibers up the thread until they touch the hook shank and then give one wrap of the dubbed thread behind the thread ball to secure these fibers to the shank.
Step Six
7. Once the fibers are locked onto the shank, you can twist the Superfine around the thread to compact the material and wrap a tight tapered abdomen to just beyond the midpoint of the shank.
Step Seven
8. Next, wrap the floss around the body with evenly spaced spirol wraps and secure the tag end just beyond the midpoint of the shank.
Step Eight
9.Find a sized hackle for the hook and glean the bottom fibers from the hackle stem. Place the clean stem up against the side of the hook shank just in front of the midpoint of the shank. The shiny side of the hackle should face forward. Apply a couple of thread wraps to secure the hackle stem to the shank, also place one thread wrap behind the hackle stem to bring the hackle upright.
Step Nine
10. With the thread behind the hackle, attach some more Superfine dubbing to the thread. Again, bring those first fibers up against the hook shank and lock the fibers to the shank with a thread wrap behind the hackle.
Step Ten
11. Create a dubbed thorax that is about twice the diameter as the abdomen in front of the hackle feather. Stop the thorax about one eye width behind the eye as you will need this space for the wing.
Step Eleven
12. Wrap the hackle around the thorax about five times with each wrap just in front of the other as to not trap the hackle fibers from the previous wrap. Secure the tag end of the hackle with a couple of thread wraps. Take care not to trap the fibers of the tag end in doing so. You can bring the tag end over the hook shank to expose the bare quill for thread placement.
Step Twelve
13. Clip a small bundle of hair. We are using Moose Body Hair for the wing of thise Green Drake. You could also use Olive dyed Deer Hair or Elk Hair. Remove the underfur with a comb and even the tips within a stacker.
Step Thirteen
14. Measure the tips to be about one shank length. You do not want the wing to go beyond the tail tie-in position.
Step Fourteen
15. Once measured, grab the tips with your left hand and trim off the butts of the hair with a straight cut using your scissors. Then place the exposed butts of the hair bundle just above the eye of the hook.
Step Fifteen
16. Place a couple of pinch wraps between your finger and thumb having the thread slide down to a position behind the eye. Tighten the thread to secure the hair to the top of the hook shank and then place another pinch wrap. Once the spinch wraps have secure the hair in place, apply a couple more tight wraps behind these pinch wraps and then one wrap between the butt fibers and the eye of the hook. This wrap will lock the butts against the pinch wraps.
Step Sixteen
17.Whip finish behind the eye.
Step Seventeen
18. Trim the bottom hackle fibers to the length of the hook gap. The finished Green Drake Hairwing Dun.
Step Eighteen

©2023 Steve Schalla
This page is not to be copied without my explicit permission.